Pan looks great! I *love* her teeter in the second course! What are you doing for contacts now? I know you were working on running for a while a la Sylvia, but do I remember you changing it to a stop? I couldn't tell in the videos. Congrats on surviving your first trial with such success!

I've been really, really lucky lately to get to work with some great trainers. I went to camp a few weeks ago, and while Gusto only mentally lasted for one session of the three, we got a ton out of it, and found two new trainers to stalk around and try to find seminars with The whole thing was sort of mind blowing for me. With Meg, I was very much about teaching the obstacles very clearly, and handling sort of...happened. It worked for us, for sure. When asked which handling method we used, the joke with our training group was that it was the "3-handed monkey" system.

I was at first disappointed that the camp wasn't focused so much on obstacles, but just a lot of jumps and a few tunnels and handling. But I was amazed that, with just a bit of instruction, he was able to read me and run so much better than I'd ever thought possible. I have a new vision in mind of what I want, and in just a few short weeks, it is feeling spectacular! One of the instructors from camp was up in our area doing privates this past weekend, and we were able to share a lesson with another green dog and get some more help. I'm more excited now than I've been in a while! We may get it together eventually!

Our focus is currently on rewarding jumping more. I've realized that in all my efforts to get killer contacts and weaves, I've let that slide. He doesn't "seek out" the jumps the way I'd like him to, and I think I just haven't built up enough value for them. I got out my Success with One Jump DVD, and we are going to go back to some of that work.

I'm tentatively looking to debut him in December or January - it will depend on what those trials are offering and how he's going as we get closer. The other thing I need to spend some serious time on is teaching him to get measured! I'm hoping hoping hoping he'll squeeze in under 16"...but expecting he won't. I'd like to stack the odds in our favor by teaching him to stand well, though. So far...not much luck!

Pan looks great! I *love* her teeter in the second course! What are you doing for contacts now? I know you were working on running for a while a la Sylvia, but do I remember you changing it to a stop? I couldn't tell in the videos. Congrats on surviving your first trial with such success!

Thanks! I got sick of training running because I was finding it difficult rig up planks and to progress without regular access to equipment. So then I started 2o2o with nose touch Garrett style and got sick of the nitpickiness of the method. (Can you tell I don't like training contacts, lol?) I had trained a teeter with a 4 on briefly last fall, and recently put that behaviour on the dw and frame. I've barely trained it though, she had been on a full height dogwalk maybe 5 times before the trial. So it's not surprising that her contacts went to **** today when she really started having fun running.

Now I'm wondering what to do again. I have a new place to train with access to all equipment and I drive out numerous times a week, so I'm almost tempted to give RC another shot. The 4 on will work if I put more time into it, but I don't really like how she creeps into position.

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Originally Posted by BostonBanker

I've been really, really lucky lately to get to work with some great trainers.

I was at first disappointed that the camp wasn't focused so much on obstacles, but just a lot of jumps and a few tunnels and handling. But I was amazed that, with just a bit of instruction, he was able to read me and run so much better than I'd ever thought possible. I have a new vision in mind of what I want, and in just a few short weeks, it is feeling spectacular!

Our focus is currently on rewarding jumping more. I've realized that in all my efforts to get killer contacts and weaves, I've let that slide.

I'm the opposite, lol! We've been working a lot on handling foundations and jumpers courses to practice and I have totally neglected contacts and weaves!

Are you learning the Derrett handling system now? It really is cool when you and your dog learn to really read each other and your dog knows exactly what you're trying to tell them on course. I'm obviously not there yet either, but I agree, the brief glimpses of it are amazing. Who were your seminars with?

Contacts are probably my favorite thing to train! I'm just obsessive enough to find it incredibly fun Plus, after having contact issues with Meg, I was lucky enough to come into Gusto knowing exactly what I wanted. Having regular contact to the equipment will be so nice! Pan really does look amazing for such a baby!

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Are you learning the Derrett handling system now? It really is cool when you and your dog learn to really read each other and your dog knows exactly what you're trying to tell them on course. I'm obviously not there yet either, but I agree, the brief glimpses of it are amazing. Who were your seminars with?

Not entirely, although his stuff is definitely closer to what I do already than the Mecklenburg. I'm not always fast enough to get where I need to be for his system; hers is not very instinctual for me at all. So it is a bit of a meld. It's hard, everyone around here uses Linda's system, so finding someone who doesn't for lessons doesn't really happen. Luckily everyone I've worked with has been phenomenal about accepting what I am and am not willing to do (I do not do blind crosses, don't ask me to) and working within that frame.

Gusto was completely on for our session with Tracy Sklenar at the camp, and I really, really liked both her and the handling she taught. It was the clearest and most instinctual for me, and Gusto read it really well. I'd love the opportunity to work with her more, but alas she's rarely in our area, and I know I would not be good at working with all the very cool online sessions she does.

I also really liked Monique Plinque's stuff at the camp, although Gusto was so fried at that point he didn't do much during the session. She taught the lessons in our area this weekend, so I got a "do-over" and Gusto was much more functional. The lesson was excellent and, while the handling isn't always what I'm comfortable with, as I said, she worked within my comfort zone easily. Super, super at helping with Gusto's little baby brain, really positive - all and all a great experience with some good stuff for us to work on. She's another I'd love to do more with.

I'm very lucky - the trainer I've worked with for many years, and continue to love working with, is very good at teaching a lot of what I like. Great obstacle skills, great self-control/motivation balance, and great skills for trialling. And heaven knows, anyone who helped me get Meg trialling successfully deserves some sort of medal. If I can get my handling a bit stronger, I think it is going to be a super combination.

We just had the best class of our lives tonight. Kimma nailed a blind cross (first attempt EVER at one) twice, did good (albeit still a bit slow) weaves, was up and excited, focused on me, and actually RAN. I wasn't expecting it and I was totally out of breath after each run LOL. Guess the drop in the temperature agrees with her hahaha.

Nights like this remind me why all the time, and sometimes frustration, put in is worth it.

Now I just have to hope that she continues on this trend right through our trial in October

And of course, I have no videos since my DH couldn't come with me to class. How rude of him

Izzie and I Q'd 3/6 this weekend (adv. snooker, jumpers, standard) with some very nice runs (Q and NQ). We've added blind crosses to our tool box and they really work well for her to keep a nice tight path. We're now in Masters level in Snooker and Jumpers and just need one more Q in each of Standard and Gamble to be in all masters level which is our goal for the year! Another trial coming up this weekend =)

Izzie and I Q'd 3/6 this weekend (adv. snooker, jumpers, standard) with some very nice runs (Q and NQ). We've added blind crosses to our tool box and they really work well for her to keep a nice tight path. We're now in Masters level in Snooker and Jumpers and just need one more Q in each of Standard and Gamble to be in all masters level which is our goal for the year! Another trial coming up this weekend =)

That's pretty dang impressive, MandyPug. Cohen and I are still fumbling our way through Advanced (and we still need one more Q in Starters Snooker!). We definitely don't have as high a success rate as you. We tend to hover around 1Q in 4 runs.

In all the trialing I've done this summer (and therefore, very little actual training) I've lost Cohen's table, and her start line is pretty ugly. I've gotta go back to the drawing board with both of these things, and it's gonna be tedious. Cohen would rather stand on the table and barkbarkbark instead of laying down, and she barks almost incessantly on the start line. ... Aussies.

I have tentatively picked a first trial for Gusto, the first weekend in December. Thank heavens I do USDAA, where I don't have to really decide until about 2 weeks out.

It's the ideal site. He's been a bunch of times to trials there, since it was the place I haunted every weekend last winter trying to get Meg's ADCH. Big ring, as good of footing as any rubber mats, nice safe rubberized equipment. I can go just for Sunday, and there are a bunch of starters classes, and a few masters I can throw Meg in for fun and to remind myself I'm not a total failure

I don't know if I think he'll be ready. I've been told this is typical second dog syndrome - we all (generally) trial our first dogs too early, wait forever with the second feeling like they are never perfect enough, and then apparently by the third you stop caring.

My biggest concern is his teeter. It isn't bad, exactly. He's pretty reliable on it, he isn't generally nervous. But it isn't the finished project I want it to be, and I don't know that I want to put him in the ring until it is. He's still getting to the tip point, waiting, then finishing to his contact behavior. So, the next six weeks are going to be big teeter work and we'll see where we end up.

The handling stuff is still a work in progress as well, although I think we have what we'll need for a starters course. My at-home work, besides continuing to proof his weaves, is going to be working on his flip.

He's got a rock solid start line. His (non-teeter) contacts are phenomenal. His weave are spectacular for such a baby dog. He's got some decent distance to the tunnels and chute.

So glad to hear about Backup's progress!! Would be even more glad for videos..

Congrats again on the Q's Mandy! That's awesome. Good luck this weekend on those last two!

Sekah, I feel you on the Q rate. Zuma is still losing her brain her first run out and because we generally only trial one day a weekend due to work, our first run is always worthless. We plan on hitting a lot more two day trials this fall/winter because they are being held at my work and I have to work the trial anyways, so hopefully that helps her brain explosions.

Boston, I'm sooo excited to hear how Gusto does! You really don't know how well a baby-dog is prepared to trial until you get them out there for their first. Problems you think you have may not appear, but new problems that haven't cropped up in training will appear. I say go for it!!